Can President Obama Drive A Sphero Robotic Ball? Yes He Can! [Video]

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The Sphero is a clever little gadget. It’s instantly addictive made possible by an incredibly intuitive control scheme. In short the little robotic ball is controlled by simply drawing on the connected smartphone’s screen. Users generally get the hang of it within seconds. Obama did. “…Excuse me, give me some space to﻿ drive my ball,” the POTUS said.

Yesterday, prior to an event at Boulder’s Coors Event Center, President Obama was greeting the gathered crowd when he ran into Boulder-based Orbotix. After a quick demonstration, Obama took the controls and had a bit of fun with the Orbotix’s Sphero before getting back to his presidential duties. As with most people who play with the Sphero, he seemed mighty impressed and found the whole concept “terrific.”

The Sphero is a $129 robotic ball that’s controlled by a smartphone or tablet. The company developed a large offering of games and apps around the device, making it a truly multifunction gadget rather than just an expensive cat toy. As shown in the video above with President Obama, it’s a whole lot of fun. Spike TV said it best, though, “It’s a new type of gaming system.”

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CrunchBase

OverviewOrbotix is focused on bringing a new concept of fun through robotics and phone-controlled open devices. Their first product, Sphero, uses Orbotix's API to create the first robotic ball gaming device controlled by your smartphone. Founded by passionate lifelong robotic engineers, Orbotix is working to bring the real world to your smartphone. Based in Boulder Colorado, the Orbotix team takes fun …